Gargouillade

Thanks everyone! It's just the RB DVDs... (both my Mayerling and Metamorphosis, newly bought). Everything else works so I thought it might be the discs themselves rather than my Macbook. The DVD does not get registered at all under 'Devices' in my 'Finder'... just spins around in the drive for a bit and then is mysteriously ejected. I'll try to play it somewhere else on someone else's computer and see how that goes!

(Hello mods, not sure if this is the right forum for this post, apologies in advance if it isn't) I was just trying to watch my Mayerling DVD purchased a few months ago but my Macbook Pro keeps spitting the disc out of the drive after it whirs about for half a minute in my computer. It's an NTSC all regions disc (whatever that means!) and according to information online, Macbook CD drives play both NTSC and PAL discs. Could anyone more technologically savvy help me out with this? Thanks in advance!

I started ballet as an adult and I have managed to go on pointe. I did 2 years of ballet, at least 6 hours a week, before I started wearing pointe shoes in beginner pointe lessons. I then remained at the barre for about a year before I was allowed by my teacher to go into the centre. After a year in the centre, I learnt enough to dance variations on pointe with the guidance and instruction of my teacher (although there is a lot lacking with my artistry!!) As everyone here has wisely said, it is a lot of commitment and work. I did at least 6 hours of ballet a week and am now up to 8 hours with weekly privates. I dutifully did my releves and foot strengthening exercises every day. Every moment on pointe is a struggle—you have to remember to pull up and out of your shoes, keep your core engaged, turn out, have a strong straight spine etc. Along the way I lost toenails and spent an inordinate amount of money in my quest for the right shoe. I think my experience proves what others have posted earlier: you need the correct anatomy, a teacher who is willing to teach you, and the patience to go veeeeerrrryyyyy slowly. It is something to aspire to, yes, but it is also something to work for. All the best!

forgot to mention that they will come without ribbons and elastic! (also happy to consider offers if my asking price is too high for you—just need to get rid of them so I can afford the shoes my teacher recommended)

My teacher has suggested that I switch over to a different pointe shoe model, but I have back up pairs of my old model I need to get rid of! They are Bloch Balance Europeans in size 4.5, width XX. The tips have been darned around the platform and the foam padding in the toe box has been removed. One pair has been worn for about three classes, so I would say that they are broken in (but have plenty of life left in them), and another pair has been minimally worn and are almost as hard as new. £45 including p&p for both, but happy to sell them individually. Can also send pictures if you need to have a look at them. Thanks!

thanks for your help everyone!

thank you both very much! would dancewell be http://www.pointeshoe.com/shop/?

I am looking for Bloch Heritage pointe shoes—the London store is out of my size and when I rang Planet Dance this morning they told me that after the Bloch move to the new warehouse (which delayed some orders and caused a backlog), an employee set off the sprinklers at the new warehouse (!!!) and they don't expect to get deliveries in the next three weeks. Does anyone know where I can get these shoes (or even recommend a similar make that isn't Bloch)? Google tells me that Dancewear 365 sells them as well but they seem to have extremely bad reviews (i.e. no delivery of goods after a month). Thanks in advance!

DanceGirlsDad, thanks for doing that! I have not purchased from them in their Drury Lane store but can attest to their poor standards when purchasing via mail-order. I finally received my refund, about five to six weeks overdue.

hi everyone, i'm glad to find that this thread has given some of you laughs and others a new business plan! i was really freaked out when i got that message -- in the early hours of the morning -- and so have blocked that eBay buyer. (anyone interested in contacting him -- yes, him -- to get rid of pointe shoes is more than welcome to PM me...) i suspected that it might be a foot fetish thing and so thank you all for confirming those suspicions! if i didn't get that creepy message i would still be adopting the 'whatever makes me money' mentality but it's too weird for me now...

hi everyone i have been clearing out my possessions recently and have been listing items on eBay. one of the listings were for old pointe shoes as i thought someone might like to deshank them for demi pointes. however, i received a creepy message.. "mmm lovely pointes how long you had them and used them for thank you" i was wondering if that in listing the shoes i might have perhaps inadvertently advertised something else...? or to a community i didn't know existed on eBay...? if anyone has any experience with dealing with this sort of thing i would appreciate advice. thanks in advance

SwaybackSapphire, thanks for the tip! I rang them today and politely suggested that they were in breach of the distance selling regulations to which the lady on the phone impatiently said over me "I am familiar which these regulations". She then suggested that the company had 30 days to refund me but regulations clearly state that customers must be refunded within 14 days of their receiving the item. She wouldn't even tell me when they would credit me. A friend who is learned in the law has helped me to draft a strongly worded email to them! 2dancersmum, 14 days is the legal limit! If you ever need to quote the legislation, it is Regulation 34(4) and 34(5) of The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (as I learnt today). x Thoroughly unpleasant shopping experience with them. I would avoid unless you are absolutely sure you don't have to return/refund/exchange anything.

hi shygirlsmum thanks for letting me know!

hi there, i just wanted to know if any other forum members have had difficulties returning items to Sansha in Hull. it's been nearly a month and i still haven't received a refund, and they were very unpleasant over the phone about it!

Hi JoJo, perhaps I will give that a try if nothing works! I am currently using the second hardest shank

Selling this Yumiko in N-Cyan and N-White trim http://pixsta.com/u/yumikoworld/p/v0hX0cv1k-/ Only worn a couple of times! No defects. Please quote me a price! Happy to send pictures if needed. ***It is a little more shiny in real life.

Hello spooky, my fitter has never tried to put me in TMT so I'll check it out next time! I agree with your DD, European Balance are lovely for PDD JoJo, I do have the suede-tipped ones. They are quite stable but it's the pique-ing into things I'm having trouble with, I feel as though I am going to roll over my foot and that's a bit terrifying. How long did it take for her to get used to the Gaynors?

Hi swanprincess, I was fitted a really long time ago in Suffolk Solos in London Capezio and I usually buy a few pairs at once from Porselli Dancewear online. They do go out of stock online pretty quickly in my size (and they only stock two styles I think) so I call up the Suffolk factory if I need some urgently. I try to avoid that though, because they raised their prices!! It seems odd to me that Suffollks are such a popular brand in the US but it's so hard to get hold of them in the country they were made!

Nana Lily, that sounds like the complete opposite of my problem! I thought Gaynors were meant to be indestructible! Sounds like your DD has wonderfully strong feet. A lot of money has been spent on shoes already (I've been through Grishkos and Suffolks too) and I feel bad about the cost I put my parents through! I do have quite a lot of pointe work, plus annoying feet (compressible, wide at metatarsal due to hereditary bunion, tapered with a low profile and narrow heel).

Thank you so much for the advice CeliB! I guess I will keep alternating between paste shoes and Gaynors until they feel ok! My teacher isn't a fan of Gaynors because she's tried them and couldn't really feel the floor in them. However she is also very accommodating to different foot requirements (and financial restrictions!) and has mentioned that I can wear whatever shoe as long as I can dance in them. The Gaynors feel comfortable enough not for me to wear any padding in them and they were expensive so fingers crossed that I figure it out. I'm hoping that when class starts again she'll be able to advise, as you say! But also don't want to look like I've slacked off in the term break... Thanks again, I hadn't thought of switching in stages

Dear Janet, thank you so much! Hopefully someone will be able to help. My regular classes haven't started up again yet and I would hate to be a complete klutz in front of my teacher

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum so I hope I am posting everything in the correct format! I am hoping for some advice on switching to Gaynor Mindens. I wear Bloch European Balance but I find that the box is dying faster and faster (while the shank remains fine) and it was getting expensive so I thought I'd switch to Gaynor Mindens. I was told that they would feel different from my usual pointe shoes, and that I'd have to pull up of the shoe more. I tried them at home and everything seemed fine after a bit of getting used to the new feeling, and turns were okay. However, disaster struck in class... I found that I could not really pique into anything at all! Pique into fifth was fine and I could take the front leg off to balance but pique turns across the diagonal, which I am best at, were horrible. I was falling out of the turn and sometimes I could only make it to demi pointe. I couldn't pique arabesque at the end of the combination on my first try as well, and when I succeeded, it felt really unstable, as though I was going to roll over my foot. I am wondering if there is something I am doing wrong technique wise in my Blochs that only become obvious in Gaynors... or is it really just a matter of getting used to the new feeling? Thanks in advance for your help!